Josh Hallam

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Right now, we are on DRF 9, which means we are on a two hour recall so if someone deploys, we load their bags onto the plane. We are not allowed to leave the city our Ft. is in. In August, we move to some phase that lasts two weeks that is also on a two-hour recall. It is getting our weapons ready for DRF 1. We go on DRF 1 which is two-hour recall, this time to be deployed. If we don't get deployed, we go back to DRF 9. Overall, we have around 4 months of two-hour recalls. No leaving the barracks w/o a local phone # and no leaving the city. All because we are America's Strategic Response Force.

I just finished 5 weeks of ITC - Intensive Training Cycle. The schedule was pretty much half day Monday. In the field Tuesday - Thursday, and a half day Friday. Because the USA "Owns the night", we train a lot then, so in the field we get four hours of sleep at the most. Two is usual. Sometimes more, sometimes less. We had what's called Large Package Week which is when the whole battalion does one mission. I had my first night jump and first jump with full combat equipment (almost) I got to leave the plates in my IBA [body armor] out and the tripod. They did not have water for us so I carried two gallons on me so that added quite a bit extra. The rigger [the person who packs and inspects parachutes] could not even lift my parachute drop bag. I had to get on my knees to get it hooked up. Because it was so heavy, he wasn't able to tighten the straps, so it was only an inch off the ground. When I stood up and actually walked, I had to bend over so I drug the bottom and the straps that were S-rolled came undone, causing me to step on them. I had a helluva time getting to the bird. I fell out. This was the first march I ever fell out of. This 200-300 yards were much worse than the 14 miles in Basic. I was the first man in the outboard line and the entire inboard line beat me too the plane. The jumpmaster yelled "Where's my outboard?" "Here Sergeant!" When I finally got to the plane, my legs were shaking. I was the first to actually board the plane. As the inboard came in, they moved my PDB from on my lap to on my left leg. We sat on the runway for an hour. At 5-10 minutes into the flight, I started to sweat profusely. Not because of nerves or heat, but because of the pain of all that weight on my knee. With only 30 minutes left of the hour-long flight, I was somehow able to lift the bag enough to get my leg out from under it. The relief was like holding a bad pee for an hour and finally being able to go. When it came jump time, the line was moving so fast with my extra weight that I had to run to keep up. Therefore, I didn't jump but just ran out the bird. I ended up turning upside down and watched my shoot open [beneath my feet]. I had the second softest landing, surprisingly. I did manage to break my eye pro and the surefire [tactical flashlight] off my weapon though.

We jumped into DZ Sicily and secured OBJ Washinton, which was the DZ. My company had the south side and A[Alpha], C[Charlie], & D[Delta] had N[North], E[East], and W[West]. Then, Alpha company assaulted OBJ Reagan, leading the attack. Their 2nd platoon secured Bldg. 21, which was in the middle of the town. Then their 1st platoon escorted my squad (B co, 2nd PLT, weapons Squad) to the BLDG. We were support by fire for our entire company, so we were pretty important. I wasn't even allowed to get hurt on the DZ. Being an assistant gunner, I just laid in the prone on the roof top, spotting enemies. Pretty boring and painful with an IBA and assault pack on your back. We jumped at 2250 [10:50 PM] and the town was secure by 0630. One truck that went by that was a rolling IED that my gunner didn't shoot killed Morgan (my roommate in jump school & in the platoon from A co that secured the building), his PL, SL, TL, PLT RTO, and PLT FO. [platoon leader, squad leader, team leader, platoon radio/telephone operator, and platoon forward observer]. Alpha had close to 50% casualties. The only guy in my platoon to be killed was McMackin. He was killed last year in ITC and actually shot in Iraq. Not a lucky man.